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September 2009

The statistics are startling: More than 100 thousand people in Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties were living in poverty last year...with the figures expected to be even higher this year. KCLU's Lance Orozco has the story.

A South Coast community is asking for its residents thoughts, and suggestions on what should happen with some of its prime waterfront, and waterfront adjacent areas. KCLU's Lance Orozco gives us a look at an effort which includes a series of community workshops this week to try to come up with the outline of a plan.

It's been a shaky year for the banking industry...with nearly 100 institutions folding, and hundreds more in trouble. However...financial institutions have been making a comeback in recent months. KCLU's Lance Orozco talks to some local bannking leaders about the state of the industry.

Government, and non-profit agencies which provide social services, and aid on the South Coast are being squeezed by an unprecented demand for help...at the same time their support is in many cases shrinking. KCLU's Lance Orozco reports some of them banded together to try to get your support in providing help to those who really need it.

They are more than two thousand year old artifacts, found in some Chinese tombs. Now, the intricate carvings, robes, dishes and other items are on display as part of an exhibition at hte Santa Barbara Museum of Art. KCLU's Lance Orozco has the story.

More and more people who suffer heart attacks are surviving because bystanders, or emergency personnel are there to quickly start C-P-R. KCLU's Lance Orozco has the story of how some people stepped up to save a heart attack victim.

Pulitzer Prize nominee Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried, will be appearing on the campus of California Lutheran University, Thursday, 9/24. KCLU's Lance Orozco spoke with him about his work.

Police in Ventura are pioneering an advanced dispatching system that allows field officers access to photos, call records and an unprecedented range of information. KCLU's Lance Orozco reports officers believe the new system will improve their ability to stay safe and fight crime.

A decision could be coming soon on a federal proposal to expand offshore oil and gas leasing. KCLU's Lance Orozco reports Santa Barbara County has opposed the plan and now the City of Santa Barbara has taken up the issue.

It sounds like the plot of an "Indiana Jones" movie. Deep beneath the bleachers of a South Coast sports stadium lies a little known collection of hundreds of thousands of scientific specimens. But...this is no movie. KCLU's Lance Orozco has the story.

A project to help us learn more about Great White Sharks has led to the capture of a fifth one of the often feared predators off the South Coast since the project started in 2002. KCLU's Lance Orozco has an update on the research project.

September 12th, 2009 is the first anniversary of the Metrolink Train 111 crash. The head-on accident involving the Ventura County bound train killed 25 people, and left 135 injured. KCLU's Lance Orozco talks with one of the survivors.

One of the region's largest food banks is banking on some community leaders for help. KCLU's Lance Orozco reports the agency turned civic leaders into workers for a day, so the decision makers could get a taste of the crisis in the region.

Flu season is at hand. And this year it means the potential for both seasonal influenza, and swine flu. A federal report says the H-1-N-1 strain could cause as many as 90 thousand deaths nationwide, triple what were normally see from seasonal flu. KCLU's Lance Orozco talks to a top local health care official about the situation.

Among the many local impacts of this year's massive state budget cuts are a huge loss in funding for H-I-V, and AIDS testing, and services. KCLU's Lance Orozco reports some officials involved with the programs are warning we could see a surge locally in the number of infections, and death.

It's known around the world as a potentially destructive ocean pest. But...a UC Santa Barbara researcher says the makeup of green mussels could help provide the key to an important new waterproof adhesive...which can be used to repair everything from your teeth to a crack in a boat. KCLU's Lance Orozco has the story.

A three-quarter sized...240 foot long replica of America's Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC has come to the South Coast for the Labor Day Weekend...to pay tribute to the 58,000 Americans who died in the conflict. KCLU's Lance Orozco has the story.